Loom



Dec. 21, 1965 J, ZERBEE 3,224,468

LOOM

Filed April 2, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 224- INVENTOR.

LOU/.S J. ZEEEE L. J. ZERBEE Dec. 21, 1965 LOOM Filed April 2, 1964 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ummm' United States Fatent Oiilice 3,224,468 PatentedDec. 21, 1965 3,224,468 LOM Louis I. Zerbee, 301 Chillicothe Ave.,Bellefontaine, Ohio Filed Apr. 2, 1964, Ser. No. 356,903 Claims. (Cl.139-127) This invention relates to a loom for Weaving wire and moreparticularly to a device for and method of leading weft wire through ashed, although not necessarily so limited.

This application is a continuation-impart of my application Ser. No.248,541, tiled Dec. 31, 1962 for Loom, now abandoned.

In the weaving of Wire screen material and other material containingcomparatively stiff members such as high carbon steel wire woven intothe material, difliculty is encountered, in that the ordinary shuttlesused in Weaving yarn cannot be used. Looms have been used having a barfeed across the loom to pull the weft wire through the shed, the weftwire being supplied solely from one side. This bar and its drivingmechanism has given considerable trouble from breakage of parts.

Many methods have been used to impel and guide the weft wires throughthe shed of heavy wire weaving looms, including hand feeding the weftwires. There are several types of mechanical means for feeding weftwires, two of which are disclosed in my United States Letters PatentNos. 2,383,903 and 2,501,982. The looms covered by the above patentsincrease weaving production many fold over the old method of feeding theweft wire by hand.

An object of this invention is to lead the weft Wire through the shed.This has been accomplished by a simple lightweight, almost weightleSs,nose cone placed over the leading end of the weft Wire. This nose coneguides the leading end of Ithe weft wire 'through the shed withoutsnarling or entangling the warp wires.

Another object of this invention is to actuate the cap or nose cone forthe weft wire pneumatically from the end of the weft wire that has beenpositioned in readiness but before the next weft wire begins itsmovement across the new shed.

Another object of this invention is to conne operation of the loom tothe area of the frame of the loom. This conservation of space decreasesthe possibility of accidents, in that in at least some of the prior artdevices the weft wire feeding device extends outwardly from the side ofthe main body of the loom, requiring an enclosure to eliminateaccidents.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, thecombination thereof, the method of manufacture and the mode ofoperation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of a portion of a loom;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of a pneumatic cylinder, takensubstantially on the section line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is another cross sectional view of the cylinder shown in FIGURE2 after the piSton has been actuated toward the opposite end of thecylinder;

FIGURE 4 discloses a fragmentary, side elevational view of the loom;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged :side elevational View of feed rollers used infeeding crimped weft wire to the loom;

FIGURE 6 is another enlarged view of `the feed rollers;

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional View of the feed rollers, takensubstantially on the line 77 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 discloses a modification utilizing a source of compressed airand a vacuum to operate the nose cone;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary detailed view, drawn on a larger scale,showing the nose cone feed pipe and an adjacent bracket; and

FIGURE l0 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken on theline 10-10 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character discloses fragmentaryportions of the frame of a loom adapted to weave wire or other stiffwarp and weft members. Warp wires 22 are supplied from any suitablesource, not shown. The shed 26 is formed by a conventional pair ofheddles 28 and 30 reciprocated by suitable driving mechanism, not shown.The shed is used for the passage of the weft wires 122, as will bedescribed more fully later.

As is well known to the loom art, a beater mechanism 60, as best seen inFIGURE 4, having a pair of vertical supporting arms 62, only one ofwhich is shown, is provided for swinging movement on pivots 64 mountedin a pair of vertical standards 20a of the frame 20. This beatermechanism swings to and fro cyclically. This has been accomplished bythe use of link members 66 pivotally attached at 68 to the beatermechanism. The opposite ends of the link members 66 are attached bycrank pins '70 to gears 72, driven at a suitable speed by a drivingmotor mounted upon brackets 82 attached to one of the standards 20a. Themotor drives a Vbelt passing over V-belt pulleys 86 and 88 and through agear train comprising the gear 90, the gear 92 meshing with the gear 72.

Instead of the methods of feeding weft wires such as hand feeding or areciprocatory rod pulling the weft wire through the shed, the weft Wireis provided with a nose cone or cap covering the leading end of the weftWire 122 while passing through the shed. This nose cone or torpedo-likecone 120 may be made from wood, plastic or a suitable metal or alloy.The weft wire may be precrirnped, as shown, and fed by a pair of feedrollers 124, 126. A feed roller 124 has a groove 124a receiving the weftwire. The roller 126 presses the weft wire against the roller 124, so asto positively feed the weft wire through the shed.

These rollers are driven intermittently to feed the weft wire 122 anddispense the required length of wire through the shed. The weft wireusually is supplied to the crimping device, not shown, from coils ofwire. The crimped wire coming from the crimping device, not shown, isquite rigid. The wire passing through the feed rollers 124 and 126extends in tangential relation to the point of contact with the rollers.The wire that is used has suliicient rigidity so that as it comes out ofthe feed rollers it does not deviate from the position shown inFIGURE 1. When the weft Wire has traversed to the opposite side of theshed, if not pre-cut, the weft Wire 122 may be automatically cut by asuitable weft wire cutter, as shown in my United States Letters PatentNo. 2,272,456 for Loom dated Feb. 10, 1942. The wire cutter shown in myPatent No. 2,272,456 does not cut the weft wire until it has completedits travel across the shed.

As clearly shown in FIGURE 1, the weft Wire is fed at an angle withrespect to the apex 26a of the shed, so that the warp wires guide theleading end of the weft wire and its nose cone 120 towards the apex, tothereby cause the nose cone to emerge from the opposite side of the warpwires to align the nose cone 120 with the open end 130a of the tube 130,which has been moved into registry with the approaching nose cone at theproper instant of time.

When the end of the weft Wire reaches the side opposite the feed rollers124, 126, the nose cone is returned to the opposite side by a pneumaticmechanism, which will now be described. The beater is advanced towardthe bight of the shed almost immediately after the end of the weft wirereaches the side opposite the feed rollers. The nose cone is insubstantially the identical position after leading each weft wire acrossthe shed. Y Y

The nose cone 120 enters the open end 139g of the suction tube 130. Thesuction is created by a cylinder 140 mounted on the beater mechanism 60by a pair of arm members 190 and 192, said cylinder having a piston 142mounted therein for reciprocatory movement. The piston 142 is mountedupon a piston rod 144 passing through suitable apertures in the endwalls or cylinder heads 146 and 148. The end wall or cylinder head 148is provided with an exhaust opening having an exhaust valve 160 mountedtherein and the end wall or cylinder head 146 is provided with an intakeopening having an intake valve 162 mounted therein. The piston rod 144is mounted in the path of a stop arm or bracket 150. When the piston rod144 engages the stop 150, the piston is driven Ifrom .the extreme -lefthand position into t-he position `shown in FIGURE 2.

As soon as the piston 142 moves away from the end wall 148, a vacuumbegins to form between the end Wall 148 and the piston 142. When thepiston arrives in the position shown in FIGURE 2, the passage 142aregisters with a passage 164 connected by a tube 166 to the end of apipe 168. The remote end of the pipe or tube 130 is always open. Thepipe or tube 130 is joined at an acute angle to the pipe 168 so as toform a Y. As clearly shown in the drawings, the pipe 130 and the pipe168 are of unequal length. The main stem of the Y is connected bytubular means to the cylinder 140. The suction created by the vacuumbetween the end wall 148 and the piston pulls the nose cone 120 into thepipe 168 somewhere between the juncture between the tube 130 and the endof the pipe or tube 168 near the cylinder. Even though the end 168a ofthe tube 168 is open, the suction is sufficient to draw the nose coneinto the pipe 168.

The pipe 168 is enclosed by a collar 169 pivotally attached to a bracket171 attached to the beater frame. Thus, the end 168b of the pipe 168rests on the warp wires and on top of the shed. When the shed is closed,the warp wires near the woven screen lie in a common plane.

As the piston progresses to the opposite end wall 146, as shown inFIGURE 3, air has been compressing in the cavity 170 until the port142]; registers with the passage 172. The air then is expelled throughthe passage 172 to the pipe 168 having the nose cone lodged therein. Atthis instant of time, the open end 168e of the pipe 168 registers withthe end of the crimped weft Wire. Thus, the nose cone 120 is thenpositioned on the end of the weft wire. The compressed air drives thenose cone in a straight path through the pipe 168 to its open end 168g,where the nose cone is positioned on the end of the weft wire, asclearly shown in FIGURE l. Before the feed rollers begin feeding theweft wire, the shed is formed. Upon the shed being formed, the end 168kof the pipe 168 is raised by the opening of the shed. Furthermore, beingthe pipe 168 is mounted by the bracket 171 to the beater frame, afterthe nose cone has been positioned on the end of the new weft wire thepipe is moved laterally with the beater, so as to completely move out ofregistry with the weft wire and the nose cone thereon. The feed rollersare then driven to feed the weft wire through the shed, the nose coneleading or guiding the leading end of the weft wire through the shed. Abracket 173 mounted on the beater frame has a vertical wall facing thepipe 168 to positively drive the end 168k with the advancing beater.

These operations continue cyclically. The return transfer of the nosecone takes place near the advance position of the beater. When thebeater is retracted, the piston rod 144 engages a bracket 188 to returnthe piston in readiness for the next cycle.

In the modification disclosed in FIGURE 8, the nose cone 120 is drawninto the tube 130 by opening a valve 200 which connects the tube 168,which may also be referred to as the main stem of the Y, to a vacuumtank 202. The valve 260 may be an electromagnetic valve that is openedby closing the contacts 204 and 286 connecting the valve 200 into anelectric circuit. The contact 204 is actuated by a cam 208 mounted on ashaft 210 driven through one rotation during each cycle of the weavingmechanism.

Immediately after closing the valve 280, a second valve 216 is opened toconnect the pressure tank 212 to the tube 168 to forcibly drive the cone120 into the position shown in full line towards the left of FIGURE l.This second valve 216 is an electromagnetic valve that is actuated whenthe contacts 220 and 222 are closed by a cam 224. These contacts 204,206, 220 and 222 are connected into an electric circuit, not shown.

A suitable vacuum pump, not shown, is used to maintain vacuum in thetank 202 and an air compressor is used to maintain sufficient airpressure in the pressure tank 212. These tanks and the parts associatedtherewith may be mounted upon the beater, in which event the switchesactuated by the cam shaft may be connected to the electromagnetic valvesmounted on the beater by suitable llexible leads.

In some installations, it may be desirable to use apper valves inmembers and 168, so arranged that when suction is applied, a valve, notshown, closes the outlet of pipe 168 and opens a Valve in the pipe ortube 130, so as to apply suction to the nose cone as it enters the endof the tube 130. The mechanism is so timed that suction is applied onlywhen the nose cone enters the tube 130. After the nose cone has enteredthe tube 168, the valve in the pipe leading to the vacuum tank is closedand the valve in the pipe connecting the tube 168 to the pressure tankis opened. The air pressure closes the apper valve in the tube 130 andopens the llapper valve in the tube 168, to eject the nose cone from thetube 168 to position the nose cone on the end of the weft wire, as shownin FIGURE l.

These operations are repeated cyclically while weaving the wire meshscreen. In high speed looms, the speed of the weft wire may besullciently high so that the inertia of the nose cone will carry itthrough the tube 130 by its own velocity, in which event the suctiondevice may be omitted. Instead of using the control mechanism, anysuitable electrical, electromagnetic or mechanical device may be used intransferring the nose cone from one weft Wire to the next weft wire.

Instead of using feed rollers disclosed in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, feedrollers that are provided with teeth similar to crimping rollers meshingwith undulations in the crimped weft wire may be used to push or shovethe weft wire through the shed.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, itwill be understood that within the purview of this invention variouschanges may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement ofparts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generallystated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects setforth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A device in a loom for feeding weft wires through the shed of thewarp wires, the combination including a reciprocating beater, atorpedo-like cap on the leading end of the weft wire, means for feedingthe weft wire between the warp wires, the torpedo-like cap guiding theleading end across the warp wires, and pneumatic mechanism forwithdrawing the cap from the leading end of the weft wire when laid inposition across the warp wires and for returning the cap to the oppositeside of the warp wires, said mechanism placing the cap on the leadingend of the next weft wire.

2. A weft wire feeding device for feeding the crimped weft wire betweenwarp wires forming a shed, the combination comprising a reciprocatorybeater, mechanism for feeding the weft wire through the shed, atorpedo-like cap, pneumatic mechanism for positioning the torpedo-likecap on the leading end of the weft wire before feeding the weft wire,said cap preventing the leading end of the weft wire from snagging thewarp wires when fed through the shed, said pneumatic mechanismwithdrawing the cap from the end of the weft wire when extended acrossthe warp wires, and returning the cap and placing the cap on the leadingend of the succeeding weft wire.

3i. A weft wire feeding device according to claim 2, wherein saidpneumatic mechanism for placing the cap upon the leading end of the weftWire includes a tube for withdrawing by suction the cap from the weftwire after traversing the warp wires, and a second tube for returningthe cap by pneumatic pressure to the opposite side of the warp wires,said second tube being aligned with the leading end of the succeedingcrimped weft wire.

4. A weft wire feeding device according to claim 2, wherein thepneumatic mechanism for positioning and returning the cap includes acylinder and a piston therein, one end of the cylinder having a uidexhaust opening and the other end of the cylinder having a uid intakeopening, a pair of pipes of unequal length forming a Y, one of the pipesterminating on one side of the warp wires and the other pipe terminatingat the opposite side of the warp wires, both ends of the cylinder beingconnected by tubular means to the main stern of the Y pipes, means formoving the piston and cylinder with respect to each other, and valvemeans for opening one end of the cylinder to draw the cap through theshorter pipe by suction and said valve means opening the other end ofthe cylinder to the stem end of the Y to propel the cap throughthe pipeto the opposite side of the Warp wires and to place the cap upon the endof the succeeding weft Wire.

5. A weft wire feeding device according to claim 2, wherein thepneumatic mechanism for positioning the cap on the weft wire includes ahollow pipe extending across the warp wires in alignment with the end ofthe succeeding weft wire and beyond the same, a second pipe forming anacute angle with respect to the hollow pipe and opening into the hollowpipe, said second pipe leading from the opposite side of the warp wiresand being aligned with the leading end of the weft wire when extendedacross the warp wires.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,528,881 11/1950Harter 139-127 2,630,839 3/ 1953 Birtwell 139-126 2,731,986 1/1956Frentzel 139-126 3,052,451 9/1962 Hamrick 139-133 X FOREIGN PATENTS703,304 2/1931 France.

43,791 8/ 1938 Netherlands. 179,034 12/ 1935 Switzerland. 251,353 9/1948 Switzerland.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

1. A DEVICE IN A LOOM FOR FEEDING WEFT WIRES THROUGH THE SHED OF THEWARP WIRES, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING A RECIPROCATING BEATER, ATORPEDO-LIKE CAP ON THE LEADING END OF THE WEFT WIRE, MEANS FOR FEEDINGTHE WEFT WIRE BETWEEN THE WARP WIRES, THE TORPEDO-LIKE CAP GUIDING THELEADING END ACROSS THE WARP WIRES, AND PNEUMATIC MECHANISM FORWITHDRAWING THE CAP FROM THE LEADING END OF THE WEFT WIRE WHEN LAID INPOSITION ACROSS THE WARP WIRES AND